Indische kwak op besneeuwde boomtak 1900 - 1930

Ohara Koson made this print of an Indian pond heron on a snowy branch, but when I look at it, I can't help but imagine the quiet focus of his hand as it moved across the paper. The heron sits so still, like a little comma against the crisp, pale background. It’s got these almost iridescent feathers, a touch of warmth in a world of cold grays. Did Koson feel the chill in his bones as he made it? I wonder if he was trying to capture not just the bird, but the very essence of a cold, snowy moment, the kind that makes you want to curl up inside. That snowy branch is so luscious and soft. The subtle washes of color remind me how painting, and printmaking, can be like poetry – each mark a carefully chosen word, composing a feeling, a fleeting observation. The way Koson captured the bird's quiet presence in the midst of winter speaks to me of painting as a form of embodied expression.